Silence echoed around us, and I realized we weren’t alone and everyone was listening.
“Up you go, B,” I said, needing her all to myself. She slid off my lap and stood before helping me up.
“Help yourself to Jessa’s cookies. I think there’s a frozen pizza in there, beer, soda… just don’t set the place on fire.” I leveled Zane and Nate with a stern look. “And lock up when you leave.”
“Yeah, yeah, we got it, get out of here.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Kye saluted while Zane and Nate gave us a small nod. My glazed eyes lingered on Miller. “Thanks, yeah, for tonight.” For everything, I wanted to say but couldn’t.
As much as I hated it, he’d been there for Harleigh when I hadn’t been.
I owed him.
And while I was man enough to admit it to myself, I wasn’t quite ready to say it out loud.
“Night, guys,” Harleigh said, a little sheepish as she tucked herself into my side, practically holding me up.
“You know, I had big plans for tonight,” I said as we reached my room.
For a second, it occurred to me that maybe I should have tried to book a room somewhere. Mine wasn’t exactly romantic. But this was me and it was Birdie and it had never been about anything else.
She wouldn’t care.
So why didn’t I want to open the bedroom door?
“Nix?”
“I’m sorry that it isn’t—”
“Stop.” She pressed her finger against my mouth. “I don’t need anything except you, and maybe your bed. I feel kind of funny.”
I dropped a kiss on her head and pulled her into my room.
“Light switch, Nix. I can barely see.”
“No, leave it,” I said. “Lie with me in the dark, Birdie.”
We stumbled over to the bed, and Harleigh hooked her trembling fingers in my jeans. “Let me help you.”
I swallowed roughly as she pushed my jersey up my bruised body. “Tell me if it hurts.”
“It doesn’t,” I said. Even if it was agony, I wouldn’t have stopped her. Because watching Harleigh find her confidence was everything.
Every-fucking-thing.
“Lift your arms,” she whispered, and I managed to bite back the pain in my voice to help her pull my hoodie off.
“I want to check over your injuries.”
“I’ll live. Just get naked and be with me, B. That’s all I need.”
Her soft laughter wrapped around me like a blanket.
“I’m nervous,” she admitted.
“Don’t be. It’s just you and me, Birdie.”